Sten-hunting: the ultimate roman sport.

Rome is a very interesting city, but not just for the reasons that you may know. Yes, there are many of the most beautiful works of classical art ever crafted, and centuries of history accumulated in almost every corner of the city. But weâ€™re not talking about a huge museum. Rome is also a city full of life and doesnâ€™t ignore innovations .

The city is famous for its art, but if you wander trough its streets youâ€™ll discover a roman artist who doesnâ€™t appear in the art books. His name is Sten and heâ€™s no sculptor or painter, at least not in the traditional way.

Sten (apparently short for â€œstencilerâ€?) uses sheets of perforated cardboard and spray to paint images in the walls of the city. His method is quick and almost guerrillesque. Nobody knows Stenâ€™s face nor his real name, but if you take a walk in the San Lorenzo or Trastevere neighbourhoods youâ€™ll end up recognizing his signature, neatly placed beside his designs.

According to some rare interviews Sten started â€œpaintingâ€? three years ago. Showing in his early work a penchant for the pop-culture imagery, his designs have evolved into a more realistic way of representation, sometimes even emulating the style of gothic masters like Giotto.

Maybe the most important difference between Stenâ€™s drawings and traditional art is the chance factor. If you want to see a painting you have to go to a museum, but if you want to see a Sten graffiti you have to hunt for it- or let it find you.

So, while you visit Rome open your eyes. Who knows, maybe ten years later youâ€™ll find yourself telling proudly to your friends how once you saw personally a Michelangelo, a Leonardo – and a Sten. Everything in the same city…